Despair
by Pani Drzwi
Summary: What happens when your side loses the war and you find yourself alone, powerless and at the complete mercy of the man who despises you? How do you keep going? How do you not give into despair? Can Roxy find the strength to live in her new bleak reality as a prisoner of war? (Dark Side Wins, AU)
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer for the whole story: I do not own Winx Club. Anything that you recognise belongs to its respective owners; only the plot of this story is my own. **_

**Foreword: **

***Warning: LONG author's note ahead! Sorry about that, but some background is necessary to understand this story. I would advise you to read it before the chapter, but feel free to do it the other way round.***

**Welcome readers to my first published story. This is probably one of the strangest stories I have ever written but, I sincerely hope that you will enjoy it as I am rather excited about this one! **

**The setting for this one is AU, set about five years after the events of season 4. All will be explained in more detail in the following chapters as we dive deeper into this bleak reality. All you need to know for now is that about two years after season 4 Lord Darkar returned along with the rest of the Winx's past foes. Soon, he managed to raise a powerful army and plunge the Magical Dimension into another bloody war. This chapter is set at the war's culmination, straight after the 'final battle' between Bloom's and Darkar's armies. **

**Now, a word of warning. It is important to note that this story is quite different to the majority of the works in this archive. **

**This is a dark story set in a dark universe and it deals with some rather dark themes and situations. **

**This is not a fluffy, happy-go-lucky romance story filled with laughs, giggles and happy games. You will not find any characters skipping through the park and feeding puppies against a rainbow background here. **

**This is a story about fear, desperation and loss of hope. Obsession, prejudice and morality. The black, white and grey areas of human character. **

**So if you are looking for a happy story with a happy ever after ending, then you are in a wrong place. **

**In this story Roxy is 22 years old. She has managed to attend Alfea for two years before the school was closed down. She still lacks complete confidence in her abilities as a fairy. She is more skilled in magic than she was in season 4 but not a kick-ass super fairy by any means. However neither is she completely weak, feeble and useless. She might not be Bloom but she is still brave and determined. Stubborn but very kind. **

**Ogron meanwhile is not a nice man who is simply very misunderstood. He is a dark wizard who truly despises fairies. He has committed some heinous crimes. Whilst he might not be as completely rotten to the core, ultimately evil in the Winxverse as Darkar, he is still not a very pleasant person. I have no intention of suddenly redeeming him. **

**So how on earth are these two going to work out?**

**Rating: T. Quite a strong T (though this chapter is not too bad). **

**Note that the rating might change! While there will be no explicit content, this story is quite dark and will deal with dark themes. Plus, there will be quite a lot of violence (though again, Chapter 1 is not bad)... So yeah...XD**

**Warning: some coarse language in chapters to follow. **

**Still here after all that? Good. Grab a cookie and jump in! You never know you might really enjoy it...**

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**Despair**

** By: Pani Drzwi **

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**Chapter 1 **

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The strong belief that good will always defeat evil, that the villains of any tale would get what was coming for them while those who fought for justice, for freedom, for _good_ would live happily ever after, had stuck with Roxy ever since she was a little girl. It was a rock, the foundation of her very person and she held onto it strongly, every time she faced danger however small it might have seemed.

This one, simple rule had always worked for her before.

But not this time.

The war was over and she just couldn't believe it. Everything she and her friends the courageous Winx have fought for was destroyed, shattered into a thousand pieces.

The Last Fairy of Earth is lying on the wet, muddy ground of the battle field - too injured to move, but not enough to die. Her injured limbs spread out in a grotesque manner, her eyes opened but unmoving staring straight ahead, upwards towards the sky.

It seems that she is observing it carefully, taking in every little detail as if it is the most interesting thing in the universe.

Yet she sees nothing but sombre darkness, no star in sight.

Just mere moments ago it was illuminated by the silvery moon and an array of different spells but now there is only darkness, suffocating her.

She presses her eyelids shut tightly but it does not help - the darkness stays, refusing to leave.

Roxy wants nothing more than to curl up in a tight ball and sob her heart out, to drown the tortured yells and screams surrounding her.

She finds herself wishing she had lost her sense of hearing instead of her sense of sight.

Slowly, very slowly, those unearthly screams fade and there is almost a complete silence.

Amid the quiet whimpers of the injured she can hear the victorious cries and laughter of the bad side, no longer mumbled but coming into focus as they near her, having started to round up the survivors from her side.

Those joyful sounds are coming from _them_, the ones that were supposed to die in the battle.

Roxy feels anger rise quickly inside her- this isn't how it was supposed to happen. _They_ were the ones supposed to lose, _they _were the ones supposed to suffer, _they_...

This is not how everything was supposed to happen.

'But it did' a quiet voice inside her head whispers. 'And it has. Your side has lost, your friends are dead and here you are blind, at their mercy about to be killed or taken for torture!'

The anger changes to panic and _fear_ as tears automatically start to slide down her dirty cheeks. Tears she simply cannot stop, tears that allow her to somehow calm down bringing a strange, yet surprisingly pleasant feeling of numbness with them.

But the feeling vanishes as suddenly as it came, when _his_ cold, cruel voice breaks the tense almost silence.

A shiver runs down her spine as the face, although one could hardly call it that, of the speaker resurfaces from her memories, as vivid before her eyes as if she still had her sight.

Lord Darkar.

She remembers herself at sixteen, wide eyed and awestruck as she listened to her new friends (six real life, brave and magical Fairies) recall tales from their school days in which they fought evil Witches, Wizards and monsters and saved the universe time and time again. Everything they told her seemed nothing short of incredible and so out of this world that she couldn't help but compare it to a sci-fi TV show or a high fantasy novel.

The Winx told her about their first year and the fight against the Trix, a trio of vicious and power hungry Witches, and then about their second year and how they defeated Darkar, a once mortal man who became the vessel of the fundamental force of evil in the universe, the Shadow Phoenix.

She remembers how she shivered when Aisha avidly described his monstrous skeletal figure, empty red eyes and cold, cruel, mocking laughter, despite the fire warmly crackling in the hearth nearby and the steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

However the mere description was nothing compared to the real thing. She counts herself lucky to have only experienced this strange, malevolent power twice (not counting today) and always from a considerable distance.

Even so, it was a dark energy which stopped her heart and prevented her from breathing, which stuck to her very being like viscous, slimy oil and stopped her from sleeping for weeks afterwards.

And now, he is speaking.

"My friends! My loyal friends!" Darkar rasps his voice cutting through from, what it seems, is just a few metres away from her. It astounds Roxy how he can even make an innately positive word "friend" sound sharp and cruel like poison. The area is enveloped by a suffocating silence, the wind and the whimpering injured grow still. "We are victorious!"

Wild cheers break out following this statement enriched by cackles and rowdy whistles. Yet a moment later all is still and calm as before when Darkar begins again.

"Yes, we are truly victorious! What a joy those words bring to my heart, what a feeling of satisfaction after all those years of struggle. Today, a new age has begun which shall last for all the time to come! I wish to thank you my loyal friends, for all your service and sacrifice to our great cause and to announce that I am now looking forward to moving forward with all of you into our new, improved society. One that is rid of impurity, of imperfections. But before that, sadly all the loose ends need to be dealt with first..."

Roxy gasps and drowns out the rest of Darkar's vile speech, her heart hammering in fear against her rib cage.

This is it.

She is going to die.

Well, she had known that the end was coming for hours now, ever since being hit by that curse she had known that she did not have a long time left among the living, but it was one thing to expect the moment and quite another for it to actually arrive.

"Be brave," she desperately repeats those words like a mantra in her mind, over and over again praying that words alone could give her the courage to look death in the face and not cow.

She will _not_ give these monsters one more satisfaction, she will _not _allow them to belittle her and laugh at her as she dies!

Once again unfortunately, her wishes are not answered as instead of becoming as strong and unfeeling as stone, she turns into a pathetic mess of tears, shakes and scared whimpers.

Just beside her she hears sounds of a desperate struggle accompanied with shrieks interchanged with pleas for mercy as a girl, most likely a Fairy, is dragged away from the battlefield.

What is happening?!

Where is she being taken?! Is she being taken to be a...slave?!

And oh no, oh no, oh no! Please no,no,_no_, she is next!

Fear overtakes everything, shutting any rationality and logic that Roxy might have still up until this moment possessed, down.

She starts to weep uncontrollably, harder than she had ever cried in her life before and uselessly tries to strike against her captor as cold hands grab her by the shoulders and roughly drag her up from the ground.

And so she is dragged, a weeping, wailing mess, along the ground before being dumped, unceremoniously before what she can only assume (from the now very strong, sickening, negative energy) are Lord Darkar's feet.

"Oh yes, this IS a famous little freedom fighter, isn't it?" the Creature says mockingly taking in her mutilated form, not a single note of pity or mercy to be found in his cold voice. Only hate. And his lackeys _laugh_. "Roxanne Klaus, the LAST Fairy on Earth and friend of the Winx Club! My, my, what a little celebrity!"

The laughter and jeers mounts but quite frankly by now the once proud Roxy is too far gone to care. "Just do it! Please just kill me and let this end," she screams internally. "Let me die!"

It seems silly to her now, that just moments ago she was so afraid of dying. It really isn't that bad, she will see her loved ones again and she'll finally be free from this living hell. Slowly, the fear which had frozen her inside melts away and is replaced by the blissful feeling of numbness from earlier.

She feels like grinning but wisely refrains from doing so; it would not do to needlessly antagonize the psychopath. Let him get on with it and let her relief come!

She is finally ready.

"Yes but you see all your friends are gone now, they have abandoned you to death and destruction." Darkar mercilessly continues his taunting. "It was rather stupid of you to believe them in the first place, you allowed yourself to be enchanted by their Fairy magic and utopic ideals and foolishly committed your life and that of your loved ones to their hopeless cause. Truly doomed from the start, for who could hope to defeat a god? Even darling Bloom, the mighty Mistress of the Dragonfire was not strong enough in the end. Do you know what I did to her, Roxanne? She is dead now; I have crushed her weak heart in my flaming palm before ripping the Flame from her body. She thought she was invincible yet she forgot it is the Flame, not the vessel that is everlasting. And now, you are about to share your leader's measly fate. Unfortunately yours will be nowhere near as memorable, you are as important as a fly in terms of the universe, but it is the thought that counts is it not? Get ready to embrace your destiny Roxanne, it is..."

"Uhm, My Lord?" A cool, steady male voice interjectes. "Forgive me for interrupting but as a Terrestrial Fairy is it not her destiny to end in the Black Circle? Was that not the deal we struck?"

"Why yes, of course, excuse my forgetfulness! One can get easily carried away especially after such an emotional and joyous day. Let her then be my gift to you, my most loyal of friends, my bravest of captains, and my fiercest of warriors! Mark this momentous occasion with the end of your millennia long fairy hunt and the completion of your goal." Darkar crows, levitating her up through the air towards her worst nightmare. "Here have her, take her power and then do with her what you wish! She is rather painfully ordinary though so feel free to return and pick a sweeter prize. Great thanks for your service!"

"Our great thanks to you, My Lord. Be assured of our continued loyalty." _His_ cold voice replies. She identifies the glee easily in his tone and involuntarily shudders. Despite escaping death for now, things could not have possibly gone any worse!

"I have never doubted it!" Darkar replies before moving on to deal with another prisoner.

"Let us go, men!" _He_ says, his cold hand grasping Roxy's shoulder tightly.

Then she feels the dark clouds of his magic close in on her and the next moment she is flying towards what she can only describe, as her doom.

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**Footnote: **

**This is it for Chapter 1! Roxy's future doesn't look too good, huh? **

**Apologies, once again, for the long note at the start. This will not be a habit, I promise! It's just that it was **_**really**_** necessary before this chapter for you readers to have some context. Still confused and wondering about the fates of the other characters (Winx, Specialists etc.)? Well, all will be revealed in due time.**

**Thank you so much for taking time to read this chapter. Now, I'm very eager to see what you thought about it! So please, if you would be so kind, type a quick review in that lovely box below on your way out. All feedback is very much appreciated and naturally: the more I get, the more motivated I will be to work at the story!**

**Thanks again for reading and see you in Chapter 2,**

**~ Pani Drzwi**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Welcome to Chapter 2 of 'Despair'! Apologies for the long wait but I hope that the length of the chapter makes up for this. **

**But before we begin I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed this story. Your reviews made me smile. Really! I am very grateful for your support, please be so kind and keep it up! **

**Warnings: violence and some cursing in this chapter.**

**Now onto the chapter. I'd say enjoy but….. XD**

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**Chapter 2**

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After what seems like an age of blissful floating in nothingness, Roxy's feet hit a solid surface. Weakened and unable to support herself once her captor lets go of her arm, she crumples to the ground.

There she lays absolutely still, breathing hard, her heart painfully pounding against her ribcage.

The impact of the fall is felt by every inch of her body, the numerous wounds she has sustained in the battle sting and she bites her lip in an effort to stop herself from crying out in pain. Darkar along with his malevolent power is gone, for now, and her old determination to appear strong returns.

She will not give the Wizards any satisfaction!

The ground is cold and pleasantly numbing to her skin. Whatever she is lying on does not feel like soil, so Roxy assumes she is no longer in the proximity of the battlefield. Or even outside. She feels a sharp sting of panic as her mind supplies her with her possible new location, taken straight out of horror movies. A dungeon, a torture chamber...

Where have they taken her?!

What...what were they going to do to her?! Take her powers and then kill her?

Roxy gulps as the reality finally sets in. She will not be leaving this...wherever she was, alive.

Bizarrely, a fragment of Faragonda's welcome speech given to her at the start of her freshmen year light years ago floats into her train of thought. "Many say that unlike the pessimists of Cloud Tower or the realists taught in Red Fountain, we the Fairies of Alfea are idealistic beings. My dear girls, that is true. To be a Fairy is to always aspire for the better. For a better world, better lives, better hearts. To be a Fairy is to bring light to others, even in the darkest of places. Most importantly, to be a Fairy is to never give up hope."

_To be a Fairy is to never give up hope._

Perhaps all Fairies were foolish then, or maybe it was just her.

Either way, Roxy painfully admits to herself , throughout that terrible battle and its aftermath, even when she had been laying at Lord Darkar's feet, in the deepest, most secretive corner of her soul she had not once given up hope. All that time she had been holding onto hope, onto a fool's hope, that someone or something would jump out and save her.

Up until now.

The sound of heavy boots scraping along the ground floats to her from her left. Then from her right. They are surrounding her.

She jerks her head up, her unseeing eyes strain into the blackness wishing, hoping she would see something.

Nothing.

Once more all she had been holding onto was that foolish fairy hope.

Again she wishes that she still had her sight, this feeling of not knowing does nothing but fuel her panic. Not that she would be needing it any longer. After a horrible whirlwind of events she has finally arrived at the finish line.

And it is nothing short of nightmarish.

"Well finally after all this time, hello again Roxy. Did you miss us?" Ogron's voice floats towards her through the darkness.

The tone is amiable and almost comforting as if he is greeting a long-lost friend. If the voice had belonged to anyone else, in this hour of need she would have been glad to hear it. But it belongs to the Wizard so she despises it instantly. She does not want to accept any comfort, however false it might be, from someone like him.

"It really has been an age, how have you been? I'd ask about your mother but we've paid her a visit recently and have managed to catch up. What a pity that you were not available then, it really would have been a blast." Ogron continues and she does not need her sight to know that his lips are twisted into that awfully annoying, cruel smirk.

Damn him! In irritation Roxy squeezes her hands into fists, fingernails digging into the flesh of her palms. Damn him to hell! How _dare_ he mention her mother?!

"Still, how ... awfully unfortunate it must be for you to be the last Terrestrial Fairy once more. How very...ironic. Poor, poor little Fairy!" Here the word 'Fairy' is said in the like of an insult. "Luck is really not on your side in this life, isn't it?" He chuckles.

_Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything!_ Despite her spell-induced blindness, Roxy is clearly seeing red. She wants nothing more than to hit that smug bastard, punch him, claw at that smirk with her sharp fingernails...

It frightens her how much she wants to hurt him.

_"Calm! Don't do anything; it will only make things worse for you. He just wants to get a rise out of you, ignore him. Stay calm." _Her mind likens this thought to her mother's soothing voice. Of course, Morgana isn't here to soothe her daughter. Nor will she ever be. She is dead.

Still, the trick works and the young woman remains where she is, now kneeling on the ground, slightly shaking albeit silent.

"The war has certainly clipped her claws, this little kitten was quite ferocious back in the day, wasn't she gentlemen?" Anagan laughs."Where's your fire, girl?"

'Restrained at the moment but about to be unleashed if you don't shut up', Roxy thinks back viciously.

"Perhaps she has finally learnt the ever important yet sadly ignored lesson; pretty girls made of porcelain should not wander into wars." Ogron replies to his comrade in a darkly amused tone. For a second Roxy's heart clenches painfully as his words strike true.

"That is something those stupid Fairies can never understand." The final Wizard of the Black Circle, Gantlos joins the discussion.

Duman is thankfully dead, having been killed by Nabu back in Gardenia. 'Too bad that the brave magician had been unable to take any more of those bastards down before he was killed', Roxy thinks bitterly.

"The powers they are given are truly wasted on them! Those pathetic creatures. So weak yet at the same time so annoyingly full of themselves. They think that they have a right to pass judgement on matters which they are too stupid to even understand. And to think that those peasants actually _worship_ them, trust them with their own lives and that of their children?!" the blond wizard rants, though Roxy doesn't gather much from his words apart from the obvious : for reasons unknown, they do not like the Fae.

Frankly though, she does not care why. As the rant goes on and various Fairies which she had known and cared for are mentioned and mocked, Roxy's anger rises. Finally, when her mother is brought up again along with insults regarding her rule as Queen, battle tactics and various other matters, she cracks.

She simply cannot take such merciless taunting any longer!

"Emotions are the force behind the most powerful magic", Bloom had often told her when Roxy was just a beginner, spreading her wings.

At this moment, she has plenty of emotions. No longer simply angry, she is furious!

Surprising even herself, despite her weakened state, energy crackles at her fingertips which she then sends in the direction of that obnoxious, condescending voice. A pained groan followed by sounds of surprise from the other two confirm that somehow the energy bolt has reached the intended target.

Sadly it was not much as she is exhausted by the battle both physically and magically, but she hopes that it had at least stung.

"Why you little bitch!" Gantlos growls at her in fury, unleashing one of his famous energy waves at her. She is lifted into the air before being thrown roughly back onto the ground. Tears prick at her eyes as pain fills her body. Her right wrist is almost pulsing with it; the fall must have broken it. "Have you not been taught to respect those better than you?"

"You and your merciless friends are not better than me!" Roxy hisses back at the wizard through the curtain of pain. He is not the only one who is pissed at the moment and contrary to Anagan's earlier observation, she _has _fire and plenty of it! "You, you...sadistic monsters!"

"Is this really the best your feeble mind can come up with?" Gantlos laughs, seemingly amused. "But then again, that was not a very polite thing to say little Fairy. You really _do_ need a lesson on your manners!"

Crack!

Roxy shrieks as a surge of dark energy, warm yet vicious, strikes her in the ribs, painfully shattering several bones.

A Bone Breaking Curse, the favourite of numerous malicious Cloud Tower seniors. As Stormy Trix had once said: "Simple yet effective."

"How dare you even _try_ insult me when you are not fit to lick the dirt from my boots?! You are a Fairy! You are nothing!"

You are nothing!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

One rib for each word.

_Nothing! Nothing._

Words echo through the haze of pain in her mind.

Nothing. .Noth...

No. _No!_

"What did you say?" Gantlos says in a dangerously low voice and Roxy realises that she must have screamed the last word out loud.

_"Don't give them any more satisfaction, Roxy!" _Aisha's proud voice whispers in her ear, encouraging.

_"I won't,"_ she assures Aisha silently._ "I won't!"_

After several deep breaths, she uses her less injured arm to lift herself back into a kneeling position of a sort. Her movements are clumsy and most likely pitiful looking to the Wizards, if they were capable of feelings such as pity that is, but Roxy doesn't care.

She does not want to lay at their feet, a picture of defeat. Ideally, she wouldn't have wanted to be kneeling at their feet either but she knows that her legs do not have the strength to support her at the moment.

After a few painful minutes, which to her seemmore like hours, she is in a stable enough position.

She can safely assume that, underneath the layers of dirt, grime and blood stuck to her skin, she is blushing crimson in embarrassment as the Wizards laugh and jeer at her pathetic attempts to scramble back onto her feet.

Roxy takes in another deep breath.

She knows, _she_ _knows_ that by now she should just keep her mouth shut.

The hot-headed Gantlos is already furious and it is just a matter of time before the other two also lose their tempers with her. Once that happens, all hell will undoubtedly break loose.

Roxy briefly wonders in a morbid fashion just how mutilated her body can be until the Black Circle ritual refuses to work. As far as she's aware, she needs only to have her wings still attached to her back and still be breathing.

This is not at all encouraging to her future prospects, especially when placed in a room together with three sadistic, dangerous Wizards with an encyclopaedia worthy array of Dark curses and hexes up in their sleeves.

_"So by all logic you should just keep your mouth shut."_ Tecna tells her bluntly.

She should.

But Roxy just _can't_.

She is scared, hurting and angry and she will _not_ be silenced!

"You heard." She spits and once she begins, she finds that she cannot stop. "I am NOT worth nothing! In fact, I'm worth a hundred of you! It is _you_, who are not even fit to lick the dirt from _my_ boots! I am a Fairy, a servant of the Great Dragon and of the Light. I _am_ worthy of my magic as I use it to do _good_! I help, protect and heal people whilst you, Hounds of Darkness rape, pillage and murder all in sight! You, you...murderous bastards! How many of my kin have you savagely murdered? How many innocent children are dead because of you in this war? How..."

Their cruelly amused laughter cuts her off. They are laughing at her. _Laughing_!

Roxy is horrified.

Whilst she did not expect them to weep in shame after hearing her words, she had at least expected them to show some, some..._humanity_.

Some empathy when faced with the truth of the terrible human suffering which they have caused!

But instead they are _laughing_ as if she had just cracked the funniest joke at a party.

"_How_ do you people sleep at night?" She voices her thoughts, her tone in equal parts disgusted and horrified. What sort of monsters they must be?!

"Quite easily, I can assure you." Ogron replies smoothly.

"Yes, and now let us stop wasting time and get the girl's powers. However fun it is to torture her and observe her pitiful attempts to fight back, we _do_ have somewhere to be." Anagan points out, sounding a little annoyed.

"Hmm? Where?" His leader inquires in a distracted manner.

Roxy shivers.

Despite her blindness she is somehow aware of his piercing gaze on her. It worries her that he is paying so much attention to her person, along with the reason for it. Surely he doesn't believe that she could somehow escape?

No, he is probably deciding which Dark curse he will subject her to next as he scrutinises her, deciding how much more she will be able to withstand before she cracks. That, and the fact that he is most likely relishing in her pain.

"Shadow Haunt." Anagan replies and Roxy exhales loudly in relief. Thank the Dragon! Wherever she is, it is not there! "The Victory Banquet will start soon and I don't know about you but I personally would hate to miss that. All of the most dedicated supporters will be there and well, social standing must be upheld. Plus, Stormy promised to make dibs on certain prisoners for me and I must go pick them up and show her my immense gratitude."

Ogron is silent for a moment, considering his response. She can hear someone stepping from foot to foot and she assumes that it's the demonic speedster, always in a hurry. Roxy both curses and blesses his lack of patience.

She concentrates on breathing in and out as what she has now nicknamed "PIN - panic-induced numbness" makes its return. For what it seems a hundredth time in the space of the last twenty four hours, she feels she is about to die.

God, she can't breathe!

'Come on Roxy, focus,' she orders herself. 'Breathe!'

In, out, in, out, in, out.

"Fine, we finish this now." Ogron's voice disrupts her from her rhythm. There is a note of disappointment in his voice; he had probably been hoping that he would get to torment her for longer. "We'll carry out the Ritual and then you two can go ahead, I'll stay behind and...silence our guest." He concludes silkily in a manner which promises danger.

Roxy wails in protest, she does _not_ want to be left alone with him!

"Really?" Gantlos sounds surprised at his leader's choice.

"But you'll miss all the fun!" Anagan adds.

"I will join you for drinks later, once I'm finished with our friend here. It shouldn't be too long." Cold shivers run down Roxy's spine.

"Are you sure?" Anagan asks doubtfully.

"Yes!" Ogron snaps back at him in annoyance. "Now, let us open the Black Gate!"

Magic, Dark and dreadful crackles and whizzes through the stale air inside the room. She feels that it levitates her upwards against her will and her wings truly become useless now, paralysed by this Dark energy. Her ears are filled with a deafening roar of the vortex summoned by the Wizards.

She feels sick.

"Good, now is the hour! Surrender your powers little Fairy, it is over!"

For eternity, she is both freezing and boiling hot at once.

Pure, Dark energy is burning her skin and it seems that her heart is now delivering pain around her body instead of blood, with each exhausting contraction.

She screams her throat raw when her wings are brutally ripped from her back and in that moment Roxy is sure that she is feeling the worst, most horrifying pain she ever had felt or ever would feel.

Nothing, _nothing_ in this universe could possibly compare!

Then, it _is_ over.

The spell and the magic crackles and fizzes out into nought around her, she falls back to the ground.

To the beautifully cool, gentle ground!

Roxy feels wet tears sliding down her cheeks but she no longer knows whether she is weeping from the pain or from the joy that she is still alive. All she knows is that she is weeping, her sobs piercing through the silence and the darkness.

"Finally! Good work, gentlemen!" Ogron praises his comrades and then the three of them laugh with joy. Roxy notes that it is strange, such Dark beings feeling happiness but doesn't have the energy to think about it more. She is completely drained, devoid of anything and everything.

Most of all, of her magic.

Soon, Gantlos and Anagan say their goodbyes to their leader and leave after he tells them he will join the party shortly. Anagan stalks off quickly without even acknowledging her (with which she is perfectly fine) whilst Gantlos just cannot let it go and kicks her poor broken ribs once more before finally making his leave (with which she is _not_ perfectly fine with).

This leaves her alone with Ogron.

She is scared.

The room is silent but for her pained breathing and the worrisome wheezing of her chest which is signifying numerous broken ribs and possible internal injuries. She can barely move.

She really hopes that he will just kill her quickly.

But he remains motionless and silent a small distance away from her. Roxy doesn't know what to think or even how to think.

Just like at Darkar's feet, she simply wants it all to end.

"Please..." Roxy is not aware that she is saying it until the word is hanging in the air thick with tension between them. She didn't, doesn't want to beg him for anything be it her life or death but at the same time can't stop herself.

Surely, he must have _some_ compassion...?

Just like she had predicted, he doesn't reply but the sounds of footsteps signify his movement.

Towards her.

She hears him bend down over her; hesitate for just a moment before beginning to utter an incantation unfamiliar to her. He doesn't get to finish it as she hears a door being flung open and bang roughly against the wall.

"Wha-" Ogron begins clearly startled but then it appears that he recognises the newcomer.

"Good, I have caught you in time. Don't kill the girl!" Once the newcomer speaks, Roxy recognises that he is not a Black Circle Wizard but she is still clueless as to his identity. His voice is silkily smooth like honey and dare she say it...seductive? But it is also dangerous and Roxy has no doubt that the voice along with its owner is not to be trusted.

Still, what matters is that he has saved her!

She is going to live!

"What is it?"

"Don't kill the girl!" The unknown man repeats. "Not yet."

"Why not?"

"Not all of the members of the Resistance have been caught; some of those annoying trouble makers have managed to escape. How, I have no idea! High profile members at that which makes the matter even more urgent. Unfortunately." The other man sighs and Roxy can almost imagine him running a hand across his face in annoyance.

"That is highly misfortunate." Ogron agrees. "Still, what does not killing the girl have to do with it?"

"His Lordship believes that the girl could hold valuable information which will help us crush the remains of that stupid organisation once and for all. She was a member of the Resistance after all and more importantly: a close friend of the Winx. Lord Darkar is sure that this sweet little Fairy will prove to be very useful indeed. He wants her interrogated. Soon."

"Fine. I'll see to it. Personally."

"Good." The other man replies, and from the sound of footsteps she assumes that he is starting to depart. "However perhaps you should get a healer to look at her first. We wouldn't want her dying before we manage to extract all the information from her, would we? She looks done in." He adds, amused. "Despite all your animosity towards the girl, do try not to kill her. Lord Darkar might want to see her later. Alive."

Alive! This beautiful word echoes through the room. She really _is_ going to live! For now...

"I will and you can kindly go get a healer for me now. Call Lucy on your way out, would you Valtor?" The dislike is evident in Ogron's tone as he casually dismisses the other.

The other man, Valtor, leaves with an irritated huff.

"Well, it looks like I am forced to endure your company for a little while longer, Fairy." Ogron sighs.

Roxy's head is already swimming, her eyes closing, her ears drumming and when the door closes with a click and the sound of lighter, more feminine footsteps floats towards her, she really can't fight the urge to lose consciousness any longer.

She blacks out.

* * *

**So…. any thoughts? Questions? Opinions? Please do leave a review on your way out, I love reading what you guys think! Thanks for taking time to read this and see you in the next chapter,**

**~ Pani Drzwi**

**PS: EDIT - I have now fixed all of the tense mistakes. Hopefully. There are also some small grammatical changes to Chapter 1 so that the whole thing flows together nicely. So sorry about that and big thanks to LariaOfTheMist for pointing it out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

* * *

When she comes around she is warm, which is surprising.

Roxy honestly expects to wake up right where she had blacked out, abandoned on the stone floor to freeze to death.

But instead she wakes enveloped in a warm, cosy cocoon which is caressing her skin, soothing her battle aches and relaxing her taunt muscles. The warmth spreading through her bones is simply _wonderful_ and Roxy feels safe.

It is nice to feel safe, she thinks dreamily as a gentle waft of lavender mixed with lilac enters her nostrils. She has not felt safe, properly safe, for a long time. Not since the collapse of Alfea at least, or even before then come to think of it - those last few weeks before the fall were filled with tension, fear and uncertainty as the dark storm clouds gathered and Lord Darkar prepared to make his war.

So yes, safe is nice. With her eyes closed and nothing but the quiet sounds of sloshing and gurgling water in her ears, Roxy can almost forget the events of the past few years. She pretends she is back in her suite at Alfea or even better: back home. She is lying in bed, wrapped in her soft duck-feather duvet while outside, rain is softly dancing on her window. Everything, the sounds, the smells, the feelings feel _so_ wonderfully familiar to the Fairy! Why, she remembers that she even had lavender-scented soap at home...

Wait...what? Soap?!

The charm breaks and Roxy finds herself back in her personal hell. She's not back at home nor at Alfea. She can't be, neither of those places exists anymore. Instead she is somewhere cold and unfamiliar, devoid of her magic and imprisoned under lock and key by a cruel and malicious Wizard.

_'It could always be worse'_, she thinks trying to encourage herself as there is no-one left to do it for her.

_How? How could things possibly be any worse?!_

'_I'm alive!'_ Roxy thinks, attempting to dispel the negative thoughts. _'Yes I'm imprisoned, yes my magic is gone but against all odds I am _still_ alive! And according to that man, Valtor, it looks like I'm going to stay that way for a while yet!'_

_Yes, a while. And then what?_

_'He will kill you Roxy, you know that. Ogron will not let you live once your usefulness ends. Nor will Darkar.'_ In her head, she imagines Aisha saying these words grimly.

'_Not if I escape first!' _Roxy is desperate now.

_'Without your magic? Please, not likely!' _Stella voices her opinion, her voice sounds mocking in Roxy's head as if she cannot believe that anyone could possibly be _this_ naive.

'_I could! Really! Somehow...'_

_'Impossible'_ Tecna states bluntly, leaving no room for arguments.

Even though she is not really there, even though she is-_must be_- just a figment of Roxy's imagination, Tecna is horrifyingly logical as always. And as always she is right.

This whole nightmarish situation is truly hopeless and Roxy has no way out.

_'Good! Now that you've faced the facts, you must face the situation.' _Tecna commands her.

However, following through with Tecna's 'orders' is just about the last thing Roxy wants to do at this moment. She can hear someone moving about in the room but she hopes that they have not yet noticed her return to consciousness.

She is fighting mentally to stay in that imagined bubble of pretend security for even a minute longer, unwilling to face the harsh reality.

From the moment in which she had regained her consciousness, Roxy has been almost unnaturally still. She's scared. Both of facing that someone and of moving her injured body and provoking further pain. She has been through so much pain already, she does not want any more!

_'Be brave, Roxy!' _Flora whispers in her mind, her voice quiet but full of strength, a trademark of the Nature Fairy. Roxy has always admired Flora, her gentleness perfectly balanced with strength just like the force she draws her power from. Or used too... She doesn't know whether Flora has survived or not, she can only hope that somewhere out there the remainder of her friends are somewhat safe. (They _must_ be! )

'_Don't think about it! Focus on the now.', _sheorders herself. Roxy knows that she will break down if she allows herself to travel down that line of thought which is something she cannot afford to do. She needs to keep her head clean and focus on fighting back.

She counts to three and opens her eyelids.

She doesn't expect to see anything except for the familiar blackness but the gesture brings some sense of comfort to her anyway. A sense of facing the unknown and more importantly: a sense of not giving up. She might be doomed and without hope, but Roxy will not go down without a fight!

But even that familiar blackness is gone now. Instead of the never ending sea of coal-black nothingness, she sees an _odd_ sort of darkness.

Odd, because it is slightly green-tinted. And what...what is that?!

She gasps in surprise, her lungs fill with soapy water which rushes in through her nose and down her throat, burning, as she slides in deeper into the mixture of warm water and bubbles in which she is currently submerged. Her lungs wheeze in a painful protest as she struggles to expel the water whilst grasping for air at the same time. Her wet hands sliding across the smooth sides of the metal tub, fitfully trying to latch onto something, _anything_ to stop herself from going in further.

But it's all useless, she can't breathe, there's water everywhere, _she can't breathe_, she's drowning no,no,_no_! _Help! _

The walls are closing in on her, painfully squashing her lungs.

_I want to live... Help!_

A pair of hands grasps her by the shoulders and pulls her up, out of the water. She gasps and gurgles and spits as she surfaces, hungry for air. Someone pounds her in the back thrice to both help her with expelling all the water and to prevent her from choking. Her nose and throat burn, her facial features contorting in disgust at the bitter taste of soap in her mouth. Her eyes sting unpleasantly and there is a sensation of blockage in her ears, something Roxy has always detested since childhood. (She doesn't like her senses to be limited in any way.)

"M-my my eyes!" She finally manages to say in between gasps and wheezes. At once someone presses a soft towel against her face, wiping the stinging soapy water away.

She blinks warily, still not fully believing what she is seeing. Still not fully believing the fact that once more, she can finally _see_ something.

The towel is removed and Roxy winces against the bright glare radiating off an orb of greenish light, floating up near the ceiling in the middle of the room. Her already sensitive eyes water once more and she hurriedly shuts her eyelids, shielding them.

"Here, have some water to get rid of the taste" , her saviour mutters softly, obviously having noticed her expressions of disgust. This new voice is female and although a little demure and unsure, Roxy gets a sense of something she hasn't heard in a long time - true kindness.

She nods her head in agreement and the other woman proceeds to gently pry her mouth open and then helps her take in a little cool water. She waits patiently until Roxy swallows before helping her drink some more.

"Thank you", Roxy says in immense gratitude. God, she's thirsty!

"You are welcome, Miss. Would you like some more before I get started on your hair?" the woman replies and Roxy realises that she must be some sort of a servant here. Wherever here is. But perhaps, maybe she'll be able to help her? This woman seems kind after all.

"Yes, please." With the woman's help, Roxy drinks two more cups of lovely, cool water. Once her thirst is satisfied, the woman helps her into a more comfortable position in the tub before applying some strawberry-scented shampoo to her hair.

Roxy braces herself and forces her eyelids to open again, she needs to get a look at her surroundings. Actually seeing something again is strange and her eyes seem overly sensitive, most likely a result of the combination of that Curse and the soapy water. Slowly though, they adjust and Roxy can see a bathroom of a sort before her eyes.

The room itself is very unimpressive but that is not surprising in her current situation - she does not expect such evil people to keep their poor victims in luxury after all. From what she can see it is a square room, sparsely furnished with no windows and just a single wooden door directly opposite her current position (which is roughly in the middle of the room, inside an old-fashioned, unadorned metal bathtub). The room has the appearance of a dungeon -rough stone walls, stone tiles on the floor and the only source of light is that unnatural greenish orb, obviously conjured up by magic. It smells exactly like she had always imagined a dungeon would - an earthy musk mixed with damp.

A small distance from the tub in her line of vision she spies the miserable-looking and bloodied remains of her Fairy Form outfit. Her heart clenches painfully as she observes how dull and devoid of life it looks, all of its usual sparkle and brightness gone.

That is when her loss of magic fully hits her, the reality harsh and unforgiving.

Tears prick at her eyes and she feels as if there is something stuck in her throat which is making swallowing difficult. Truthfully, until she had lost them, she had never loved her Fairy powers just like one does not love breathing. Now, with their disappearance she feels a horrid sort of emptiness akin to the drowning man's sense of loss following his final breath.

"Are you alright, Miss?" the soft question brings her back from her thoughts. Roxy is _not_ alright, she is scared, and confused and in pain. She squashes the urge to scream at this woman for asking such a clearly stupid question!

The woman is now kneeling at her side, having finished washing her hair, which allows Roxy to see her face clearly for the first time. Her pale face and soft features are framed by a mass of limp, burgundy hair, unevenly cut into a style similar to a bob. Her eyes, a shade of a muted cloud-grey , shine with kindness but are also clearly sharp and attentive though skittish. There are reddish freckles dotted across her delicate, small nose and cheeks. Although she appears only a couple of years older than Roxy, from the worry lines on her forehead and at the corners of her eyes, it is clear that neither the war nor life as a servant have been particularly kind to her.

She looks tired, thin and very weary.

She also looks strangely familiar to Roxy who now has the distinct impression that she has seen her somewhere before...

Most likely at Alfea as most of the newly acquired staff of Lord Darkar and Co. are captured Fairies, the 'scum of the earth' for this new society. Any feelings of anger towards this woman, _girl_ really, fade and Roxy's heart fills with sympathy towards her fellow Fairy.

_'Fellow Fairy'? You are not a Fairy anymore..._

"Miss?" the servant girl repeats the question with worry.

"Uhm...I'm just sore, that's all. My injuries, are they...?" she doesn't finish the question but Roxy needs to know how bad things are. So far, she has been too scared to look down and observe the damage.

"Oh!", the other replies sounding sincerely sorry and sympathetic. "Forgive me, Miss, it was so silly of me not to think! I will give you some potions once you are out of the bath and changed. Uhm, well your injuries were quite extensive Miss, and you were out for over a day. The healer has already looked at and dealt with your internal injuries as well as all your broken bones but everything else needs some time to heal on its own naturally, without the aid of magic. So you should be back to normal in a few days, granted there..there are some scars that will never fade but..."

"Scars?" Roxy cuts her off, swallowing hard.

"Yes, especially the ones on your back."

Back. That must be where her wings were ripped off from.

"My..my wings. Will..will they ever come back?"

"I-I don't know. I'm sorry, Miss", the maid looks down at the ground, uncomfortable and for Roxy that is answer enough.

She casts her eyes downwards over her torso and legs, wincing at the numerous red cuts and purple bruises littered across her body in a macabre sort of pattern. Some show signs of starting to heal whilst others still have a long way to go yet. Several look worriedly infected. But at least all of her ribs are back to their proper shapes, as is her wrist. She doesn't want to even look at her back right now as she doesn't think she can handle seeing the scars left behind by her wings.

_All in all, pretty bad but could be worse, right...?_

Still, pressing issues remain.

One of which is the sudden regain of her eyesight. Roxy had tried in the midst of the battle to break the Curse but had been unsuccessful. Maybe if only she had been stronger, if only she had been a better Fairy, she would not be in this position right now?

"My eyes...how can I see again? I...I thought that my eyesight was gone forever, I tried to heal it myself but couldn't so...how can it be back?" the words rush out in a random order, Roxy can't stop her natural curiosity but the girl doesn't seem annoyed by her many questions.

"Yes, you were hit by a horrific Curse indeed. Very Dark. The Healer couldn't break it so Lord Ogron stepped in. I don't know a whole lot about the specifics of it but Miss, you are very lucky to still be alive!"

Very lucky, indeed. And did she just hear correctly - Ogron _helped_ her?!

Roxy is shocked but at the same time encouraged. The serving girl seems kind and helpful so perhaps she will be willing to help? Or at least provide Roxy with some valuable information.

"Listen, could you please..maybe tell me where I am? And please don't call me Miss, my name is Roxy." she says in what she hopes is a friendly tone. The girl appears to be a friendly but skittish creature and Roxy doesn't want to scare her away, especially since she might be her only chance of escaping this hellhole.

Her words however, have the opposite effect to what she had intended. The girl flinches and moves away from her side, Roxy's very _name_ seems to be a slap to her face.

"I'm sorry! Is it something I said? Please, don't leave!" Roxy says quickly on seeing her reaction, panic squeezing her heart at the notion of being left alone.

"No, not at all!", the other protests at once. Then she hesitates, biting her lip nervously, her fists clenching and unclenching around the starchy grey material of her dress - the traditional house servant's uniform. ( Lord Darkar is big on tradition, or so had Roxy heard) - as she struggles on how to voice what she wants to say.

She almost seems afraid to look at Roxy, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the stone floor.

No, not afraid. _Ashamed_.

"It's just that... I'm, well..." she continues, unsure of herself. Her voice grows even quieter and for a moment it seems as if she will just drop Roxy's question and leave her hanging. But, after a quick, nervous glance in Roxy's direction, the girl takes in a deep breath before blurting out: "Listen Roxy, my name is Mirta. I went to Alfea too, I was two years above you and we might have even met before well, everything. And I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am about what has happened to you. What will happen to you. But I can't help you, I'm really, _really_ sorry but I just can't!"

She stops and glances at Roxy, eyes filled with an emotion one could only describe as anguish. In her mind Roxy links the name with the face and recognises the other.

Mirta, Witch-turned-Fairy and a friend of Flora and the Winx. Mirta the kind and helpful Alfea senior, her study group mentor in Freshmen Year, a unique, not-part-of-the-crowd-and-proud-of-it! Fairy with an awesome sense of style. Mirta, a Fairy with a good heart and an overpowering morality compass, someone who would never hesitate to help another in need.

Roxy can see that Mirta is truly sorry. She can see that Mirta truly pities her. She knows that everything is not Mirta's fault but as she thinks about what is likely to happen to her next, none of these matter. The only fact which matters right now is that Mirta is _refusing_ to help her.

And this is something that Roxy cannot find it in herself to forgive her for.

"Please!", she tries once more. "_Please_, have some mercy! You know what they might do to me, you have already seen what they _had_ done to me! How can you stand back and let it happen when you could help me escape?! How can you possibly leave a fellow Fairy to suffer at their hands?! Please, I'm begging you! Please, please, _please_..." She trails off, unable to continue. Over the course of this outburst her voice has risen by a few octaves in her hysterics. Now she is wailing pitifully, her body shaking as she is no longer able to control it.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could help you! But I can't, _please_ understand Roxy." Mirta replies in a wavering voice.

Roxy cannot understand. She cannot possibly comprehend how another human being could be so heartless.

"Now, enough of this talking. Let's get you dressed!" Mirta says in a much stronger tone. It seems that she has collected herself.

Roxy watches in disbelief as the other, now almost eerily calm, flicks a wrist adorned with a silver bracelet. (The Resistance's latest intelligence claimed that this was a tool used to restrict someone's magic and allow them only to use the spells decided by their 'Master'. )

Her body floats up and out of the tub and onto a white rug laid out next to it. Mirta then efficiently dries her body and her hair with a fluffy, grey towel before applying some sticky creams to the bruises on her skin and wrapping up her torso with a bandage. The other Fairy then heads to the basket standing next to the door and brings over, thankfully, some clean clothes.

Grey long sleeved top, black tracksuit bottoms and underwear so all in all nothing special. Roxy is almost happy however, the clothes are practical and made from a surprisingly soft, comfortable material. Unlike the Princess of Solaria (who would have probably had a heart attack when asked to wear such a distastefully unfashionable outfit), Roxy does not necessarily need high end fashion in her life. Especially now.

"Do you need help with getting dressed?" Mirta tactfully asks, though she can clearly see the state Roxy is now.

The ex-Animal Fairy nods, her arms and legs feel as if they are made from lead and pulling on a top is not even an option right now. Mirta snaps her fingers and the next second the clothes are on Roxy.

The Tir Nan Og Princess doesn't thank her; instead she just glares in her direction. She still can't believe that Mirta really intends to do nothing.

"Good, now that you're dressed I will get a guard to carry you back to your room. Once there, I will give you your potions, they should help with the pain. One more thing, for the journey it is required that you have a blindfold on. I will put it on you now if that is fine with you?" Mirta states in a dead, clinical tone.

Roxy nods again. There doesn't seem to be anything else for her to do.

Mirta puts on the blindfold and Roxy tries not to panic as the world goes black again.

'_You can see now, it's okay.'_ she thinks, hoping to keep calm.

The door opens and a few moments later Roxy is lifted into someone's arms. The journey to her 'room' is quiet and frustrating as she is submerged in darkness again. Thankfully, their destination is not very far.

"Gently!" Mirta cautions as Roxy is placed on a mat of some sort. It is not a bed anyway. "Thank you.", the other Fairy adds cooly as the guard takes his leave.

The blindfold is finally removed and it appears that her surroundings have not changed too much; she is still in a dungeon.

Mirta helps her to drink several multi-coloured potions and Roxy takes them all silently, without question. Even if they are poisoned, it no longer matters to the Fairy.

Mirta then turns on her heels to depart. Just before she leaves though, in the doorway, she once more turns to face Roxy. Her mask of calm collapses and sadness is back on her face.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Roxy. Truly." she says softly before turning her back to the Fairy of Animals and swiftly walking away.

* * *

By the 'graciousness' of her captors, Roxy is given plenty of time to familiarise herself with her new surroundings. Hours pass, or at least so it seems to the Fairy, from when Mirta leaves until she is visited by someone again.

Of course, there isn't really much to familiarise oneself with in the first place for one simple reason - there's almost _nothing_ here.

She is in a small, well _cell_ which fulfils the definition of 'dungeon' perfectly - small, damp and dark.

Low ceiling, stone walls and floor, no window or even source of light but for a thin strip which is coming in from the outside through a small, crated window situated in the door of her cell. The door is made of a dark, sturdy wood -_maybe oak?_ - and has no handles or even a key hole : magic is all that is necessary to keep an unfortunate prisoner stuck in here until the end of his days. There is no furnishing to be found inside either, nothing but a pile of straw with a coarse blanket thrown over it.

Her bed.

_Of course_, they'd want to humiliate her further by making her sleep on straw like an animal! How very hilarious it must seem to them: the Fairy of Animals finally degraded to the like of the animals she so adores!

On top of that, the room is almost _unbelievably_ cold! Roxy shivers, her teeth loudly chattering and wraps the blanket around herself in an effort to get warm. The blanket is thin and littered with numerous holes and shreds so it is not a major improvement, but at least it is something.

'_Let's not even think about how many poor sods had covered themselves with and shivered underneath this piece of cloth, awaiting their deaths...'_

She needs to focus. Find an escape. Her eyes strain in the almost darkness as she observes the inside of her cell carefully.

At least she has her eyesight back somehow, which slightly increases her meagre chances of survival.

The only possible, viable route of escape is the door, the only break in this structure of stone.

Slowly, very slowly she gets up and walks -limps- over to the door. The muscles in her legs protesting loudly but Roxy has got to try. She stands on her tiptoes, and peeks out of the tiny, barred window. The view outside is much like the view in her cell : a long, narrow corridor cut in stone and lined with numerous doors, just like hers.

_Maybe...maybe I'm not alone here?_

"Hello?", Roxy calls out warily.

Silence.

Disappointed but at the same time relieved, she turns her attention to the door.

It has no handle but Roxy still desperately pushes against it with all her might. She pushes and pushes and pushes until her strained leg muscles give out and in a cry of frustration she collapses on the floor against the door, panting hard with beads of sweat running down her face.

The door remains mockingly locked and has not even slightly budged, despite all of her effort! Her eyes squinting, her gaze passes across the room once more looking for anything that could possibly come in handy.

Nothing, not even stones. The cell is glaringly empty but for the pile of straw in the corner.

Yes, the straw! Maybe the previous occupant has left something useful behind for the next poor soul that ended up in this hellhole.

Unable to get back onto her feet again, Roxy crawls at a snail's pace towards the pile of straw in the opposite corner of the cell. Once she reaches her destination, she claws at the pile like a madman. In the dim light she searches, almost blindly, for anything which she could use, perhaps a sharp nail or even a blunt rock...

Sadly, all the straw hides is the bare floor. Roxy collapses onto her knees beside the mess she's supposed to sleep in, trying not to be disappointed.

_'Where you honestly thinking that someone would have left you a weapon and a disguise along with an escape route marked onto a map?!'_ Tecna drawls sarcastically in her mind and Roxy wills her to shut up. She is not that naive!

Still, she is back at square one.

Following a thorough search of the room, there is absolutely nothing here which could possibly help her escape. How could she not be feeling dejected?

''Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry!'', Roxy orders herself in broken whispers as she huddles in a ball on the straw, her arms hugging her legs. Never before in her life had Roxy wished to be hugged by someone so badly as she does now.

She is _so_ scared and alone.

Roxy wants her Mum to cuddle her and her Dad to stroke her hair whilst reassuring her that everything will be alright and that he will take care of her. She wants Artu to lick her cheek playfully, covering it in slobber and to feel his soft fur underneath her hands. She wants to see the girls happy, laughing and _truly there_, not just a figment of her imagination. She wants to see the boys joking around and Manuel to smile at her charmingly again. She wants to feel Manuel's arms wrapped around her, his loving kisses and comforting caresses.

She just wants to be home again.

'_Is that really too much to ask after everything I've been through_?' she contemplates wearily while watching the ray of light from the corridor dance across the floor of her cell. There is almost something magical about this flicker of pale yellow light and the way it moves. It seems to be the only source of warmth and comfort in the cell and it is ironically unattainable. Despite this, she still watches it hungrily. Roxy is a Fairy, a being of Light and warmth and she _needs_ it.

Suddenly, she hears footsteps steadily approaching down the corridor and towards _her_ door. A shadow obscures her only ray of light in this dark world.

Roxy's heart leaps up into her throat as the door opens.

The Fairy shrinks back against the wall, her eyes trained on the dark, male silhouette and open wide in fear. The door snaps shut behind him once he steps into the room. He clicks his fingers and conjures up a flaming orange orb of light, bathing the cell in a warm orange glow. Roxy blinks a few times as her eyes adjust to the sudden increase in light.

"Ah, I cannot emphasise enough how good it is to see that you have improved, Fairy! I came here with the intention of moving the process of your healing along as Lord Darkar expressed His wishes of your swift interrogation. How considerate of you to, it seems, have saved me the bother!" Ogron greets her with a smooth smile, his eyes clinically assessing her condition. Apparently satisfied, he smirks at her and Roxy shudders at the mixture of smug victory and cruel amusement conveyed by this expression.

Defiantly, she glares at him which only serves to increase his amusement.

"My, my aren't we a little upset today! Whatever is the matter little Fairy, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" he chuckles. "And speaking of the bed, how do you find your new...accommodation? Satisfactory, I hope!"

"It's a pit!", she hisses back at the Wizard.

He laughs cruelly: "You fit right in then! Surely palaces, soft carpets and crystal chandeliers are a little too extravagant for someone of your kind, my dear."

"My kind?!", Roxy questions with narrowed eyes.

"Fairies." He elaborates and she grits her teeth trying to prevent herself from lashing out.

_'Control, Roxy, control. You don't want to give him a reason to hurt you, do you?'_

"I cannot believe how refreshing it is to see you and your worthless kind in their proper place! Granted you are not quite there yet, Gantlos was right: you are an insolent child but..."

"I am not a child!", she cuts him off, annoyed. She hates being thought of as immature or childish.

"Of course you're not!" Ogron raises a crimson eyebrow in sarcasm. "As I was saying, you might be feisty at the moment but after a few good lessons in obedience you will learn your place. I could help you with that sweet Fairy; I assure you that I am an excellent teacher!" He adds in a dark tone, any pretend pleasantry now gone.

She shouldn't, she really shouldn't but...she's already in this hellhole isn't she?

"No, thank you." Roxy replies in a clear, measured tone. "As much as your offer interests me, I already do know what my place is. And it certainly is _not_ at the feet of a man who tries to pretend he is an all-powerful Wizard when all he does is bend his back to a mad-man and carry out acts of cowardice on said mad-man's behalf! You. Are. _Pathetic_!"

Slap! The Wizard's hand makes contact with her cheek and she recoils at the impact. She can taste copper on her tongue. She wipes the blood away with the top of her hand and stares back at him, unafraid.

Ogron is angry, she can almost see the fires of fury dancing in his eyes but she's not finished yet.

Roxy is the one laughing now, acting a lot braver than she actually feels.

"What, why are you so shocked? Did you honestly expect me to fall on my knees and worship you in awe as the 'Wizard Extraordinaire', 'Supreme Ruler of the Earth' you think you are? Well, I can see you for what you truly are; and all I see is a spineless, bigoted murderer who is not worth even one pinch of respect!"

With that, the Animal Fairy spits at him and she delights in seeing a mixture of spit and blood stain his pristinely clean sleeve.

Though perhaps, looking at his absolutely murderous expression, she should have thought this one better through...

Ogron breathes in loudly and calmly wipes his sleeve. Once finished, he grabs her by the front of her shirt and pulls her in closer so that she can almost feel his breath on her face. Roxy freezes, terrified.

"Perhaps, you did not hear me correctly Fairy, or you are too stupid to comprehend but I said that I want your obedience. And when I want something, Fairy, I do make sure I get it.", he says in an eerily calm tone, enunciating each word carefully.

He mutters a few words in an unknown to Roxy tongue and she feels her throat squeezing, closing up as if by a pair of very strong, invisible hands. Terrified, she tries to scream but only a breathless gasp comes out. She_ can't breathe_ and as she claws at her throat in desperation, he lets go of her and she tumbles back to the ground. There she writhes and tosses as her lungs burn and her eyes water.

Then, mercifully, the invisible hands retract and her airways open up again at once. Roxy greedily inhales and the air rushes in violently causing her to cough.

"Not that pleasant, isn't it? Let this be a lesson to you; I do not take any disrespect lightly. Especially from filth like you.", he tells her with a satisfied expression on his face as he watches Roxy try and find her bearings again.

"Now, let me check your understanding. What did I and my colleagues try to teach you about obedience?"

She tries to stop herself from answering but it's almost as if she has no control over anything any more.

"You told me that one must always obey their superiors. That I am below you. Therefore, I must obey you.", those words, forced out by his magic, echo through the room in a monotone voice. She hates herself for saying it, for giving in.

"Yes, at once and without question." Ogron agrees. He lips twist into a frightening smile. "Very good little Fairy, nice to see that you are a fast learner."

But she or at least her lips are free again.

"I am a fast learner of _facts_. What you have told me is nothing more than propaganda and blatant lies! Therefore, I will not listen to you and I will not obey you, see? It would not be logical at all." Roxy states, in a good impression of Tecna.

"Oh Fairy, why do you keep being so stubborn? If you were to only accept the truth, I can guarantee that everything coming up would be so much easier for you!" The Wizard doesn't even bother trying to hide his exasperation.

"'Everything coming up'? What do you want with me? You've already got my magic..." Roxy panics, she can remember faintly Ogron talking with another man about her but...

"Ah, that! Nothing to worry about, your feeble mind will be able to handle this task, I promise. All I want to do is ask you some questions about your friends and the Resistance. If you behave, this will not be unpleasant to you in the slightest. However should you continue to be this stubborn, well...things might take an undesirable turn."

Wait, what? The Resistance?!

"My friends...my friends are alive? Free?!", she whispers in disbelief. Oh God, please let it be true!

"Some unfortunately, yes." comes the reply and Roxy's heart sings with joy.

"So I take it you will want some information on their whereabouts?" she asks but the young woman already knows the answer.

"If you would be so kind, yes." the Wizard replies, his voice silky again. He is trying to win over her co-operation.

Well then, he better prepare himself for disappointment.

"Not happening." Roxy states in a surprisingly strong voice. "You'll just have to kill me as I will give you nothing. _Nothing_!"

"I will just have to kill you?", he quotes, chuckling. "Oh Fairy, if only you knew how many Fairies and actual warriors have said those same words to me before! If you must know, all of them _without a single exception_, ended up on their knees before me, begging and pleading with me to let them live. " He looks at her, his electric blue eyes taking in her frail schoolgirl form. "Something tells me that you are not going to be much different."

Roxy shakes her head vehemently, unwilling to accept his words. He will _not_ break her, he will not!

"You're wrong!" she declares passionately. "I will not tell you a thing and I will obey you only when hell freezes over! Obedience and respect are nothing if they are not earned and if I can tell you one thing for certain it's this: an evil monster like you will never earn mine!"

"Oh, really? You will be singing an entirely different tune tomorrow, I promise you. And as for your obedience, by the time I'm done with you sweet Fairy, you will want to obey me. _Want to!_"

He shoots her a charming smile again which chills her to the bone.

With a snap of his fingers a tray of warm, delicious- looking food floats towards her. She can spy a bowl of a still steaming stew and a loaf of bread plus water. Oh, the smell is overpowering!

Only now does Roxy fully realise just how starving she is. The last time she ate anything was on the morning of the battle, which was...? Yesterday? Two days ago? She's not sure, Mirta told her that she was unconscious for quite a while...

Either way, it definitely feels like an eternity to Roxy now as her stomach grumbles and her mouth waters. She is _so_ hungry!

She fixes the tray with a hungry stare, willing it to come closer. But it stops half way, at a painfully high and unreachable distance for her weak body. She growls in annoyance and the Wizard laughs.

"What's so funny?", she hisses, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Never seen a starving 'child' before?" (Roxy has seen too many wailing, painfully thin children whom she had been unable to help.)

The Wizard (or the unfortunate children's cause of starvation), ignores her jibe.

"This sweet little Fairy is the meal we typically give to those of our prisoners who behave themselves. However in the light of your recent behaviour and insolence, you do not qualify for such a reward.", and with this said, he snaps his fingers again and the food on the tray disappears and is replaced by a dry-looking loaf of bread and water. All that is left of the stew is its enticing smell, which lingers around the room like a ghost irritating her to no end. Just like the Wizard standing over her.

"Now, now no need to sulk, I can assure you that your circumstances are not as bad as you might think! If I were you, I would be praising whatever great entity you so believe in with gladness that you are not at the moment rotting in Shadow Haunt. This is a palace compared to the conditions there, trust me."

Roxy hates the notion of trusting this man with anything but finds herself willing to agree in this matter. She shudders as she thinks of what Shadow Haunt might possibly be like; especially for the unfortunate 'war criminals' from the Light side. May God save their unfortunate souls...

"See, Fairy? We must always look at the positive side in life, mustn't we? Now, be a good girl and eat your dinner. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow and you are going to need your strength!"

Oh yes, she knows that she will.

Her 'dinner' lands on the floor in front of her and she picks up the bread, biting into it without any more hesitation. It's a bit dry but at least she has something to eat.

Ogron leaves her without any further acknowledgement once he sees that she has begun to eat. Roxy concentrates on trying to munch the stale bread, trying very hard to pretend that the casual dismissal and the sound of the door being locked again had no effect on her.

She feels so frustrated as she has just wasted half an hour of her life on arguing with that evil barbarian and she still doesn't have any answers to her burning questions! She was going to try being sneaky and squeeze out as much information from him as possible before the Wizard would catch on, but a couple of petty insults from him and she had completely lost her head!

_'No wonder that you're in this situation!'_, she thought at herself darkly, very annoyed. _'All those years in the Magical Dimension and you still don't know how to control your temper. What type of useless Fairy are you? Or used to be...'_

With a frustrated sigh, she returns to her food.

As she eats, she once more assesses her cell in the vain hope of finding a route of escape. She knows that it is stupid now and probably a waste of time, but Roxy cannot help it. She needs to even have this pretence of doing something. She cannot just give up and surrender to her inevitable fate.

_And maybe, just maybe I will finally have some luck? Maybe fate will finally smile at me and things will go my way for once?_

Yet again, there's nothing. She can't spot anything new...But...What is that?

Squinting in the dark, Roxy runs her hand across the coarse floor tile before attempting to read the words. Yes, words! Actual _words_! Almost invisible, scrawled in a rough hand writing on the floor very close to the 'bed'. The flicker of light dances towards her and she reads the writing quickly, holding her breath.

"Resistance - don't let them win"

Don't let them win.

Don't let them win.

Don't let them win!

"I won't," Roxy vows out loud to herself. "I won't!"

* * *

**AN:**

**Well, this was a sort of 'calm before the storm' chapter. Next time things really kick off as the interrogations begin... In the meantime, I hope that this was also a somehow enjoyable read.**

**Now for some author ramblings about the chapter:**

**In regards to this chapter, we met Mirta for the first time! Yes, she'll definitely be sticking around though it might be a couple of chapters before she drops by again. What did you guys think of her?**

**In case you were wondering, the Manuel mentioned here by Roxy is not an OC. In the comics he is introduced as Roxy's love interest. I do not foresee him having a major role in this story, so don't worry if you're unfamiliar with the character. This was just a little bit of trivia, for anyone curious. :)**

**Now, the Roxy/Ogron or as I will from now on refer to them 'Oxygen'(thanks for letting me know about such an awesome ship name, emberfire411!) interaction. I'm really curious as to what you guys think of it as that was the bit of the chapter which required the most thought from me and I'm still not too sure about it. Did it feel natural, especially given the current story circumstances? Forced (though hopefully not!)? There will be lots more interactions between these two coming up, especially as the relationship will evolve, and so I want to make sure that I get it right and that it is convincing to you, my lovely readers. This is my first time writing such a ship, so any input from you guys is very much appreciated! Also, what are your opinions about Roxy and the way I've been portraying her here so far?**

**Next, the plot point of Roxy regaining her sight. I promise you that this is not random and that it does/will have a purpose! I was hoping to get the explanation done in this chapter but halfway through Oxygen highjacked it from me and I never managed to get round to it. Sorry about that, it will be explained shortly (along with a few other questions you might have).**

**Finally, a small heads up regarding the rating as we may or may not be approaching a rating change soon as the action takes off and the story gets darker. I'm not 100% sure at the moment, it all depends on what will end up in the story and whether I feel that a rating change will be necessary. I just wanted to let you all know so that you guys know where to look for the story just in case the rating does go up. It most likely will not, but I'm saying this just in case anyway. **

**Now, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter : emberfire411, LariaOfTheMist, Nessa and VirgoLee. Thank you so much, your reviews really do help me a lot! Plus, I can't believe that I'm past the 'magical ten' barrier just two chapters in! The support for this story has been completely umbelievable so far and I am very, very, ****very**** grateful to each and every one of you that has reviewed so far. You guys rock! :D **

**To finish off, a little announcement! Recently, I along with a few other authors from the archive have created the 'Winx Club Fanfiction Challenges' forum and I warmly invite you guys to check it out. It's a fun place for writing challenges veterans and newbies alike and everyone is free to participate or create their own challenge. So if you're interested, don't be shy and drop in to say hi! **

**That's it from me for now and I shall see you in Chapter 4. Thanks for taking time to read this chapter and please remember to leave a review on your way out!**

**- Pani Drzwi**

**PS: Keep an eye out on my profile for updates on how the next chapter is coming along. ;) **


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